


One Slice and I'm All Eyes

by hansolemn



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Cheesecakes, I LOST MY FCKIN DRAFTS AND NOW I'M REWRITING THE LAST TWO CHAPTERS FROM MEMORY, M/M, coffees, donghyuck is a pain in the ass, jungwoo is an all knowing jedi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-02
Updated: 2018-03-04
Packaged: 2019-03-26 00:07:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,058
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13845891
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hansolemn/pseuds/hansolemn
Summary: “I’m not stalking him, okay? I’m just having mental breakdowns from this stupid term paper and all those coffee I drank while you stalk Mark. You can’t blame me if this cheesecake is the only thing that could bring back my sanity!”─or that college AU fic where Jeno works part time at a nearby dessert shop, Donghyuck is a pain in the ass, and Jaemin just wants his goddamn cheesecake (and maybe a date with that cute guy serving him his cake).





	1. First Slice

**Author's Note:**

> this story has been rotting away in my laptop for the past 5 months so i'm posting this now where someone else could atleast see it. thank you for reading! next chaps will be posted whenever i'm less busy with schoolworks.

Cheesecakes had always been Jaemin's saving grace.

 

The creamy, sweet, and deliciously divine dessert occupies a huge part of his heart for as long as he can remember. If you asked a lispy 5-year-old Jaemin what snack he wanted to eat, he'd say, toothy grin and all, that he wanted a _cheethcake._ If you asked an 8-year-old Jaemin what he wanted to be when he grew up, he'd tell you he wanted to be a cheesecake _(that's not possible? Well... a baker then)_. If you asked a 14-year-old Jaemin where he wanted to work in the future, he'd answer with a straight face that he'll be working at the Cheesecake Factory. Five years later and the 19-year-old Jaemin would laugh at that answer and tell you that that could be his side job whilst he works as a psychologist.

 

Seeing how much he loves the said dessert, it's no surprise that Jaemin is trekking the two blocks from where he lives to the 24-hour dessert shop at two in the afternoon. Why a dessert shop is open all day in campus, Jaemin doesn't know, but he knows that it's heaven's blessing to most students living nearby. One could simply escape all his workload, even just for a little while, and feel renewed by his favorite dessert.

 

He thinks it's the perfect time to escape, but can you blame him? The deadline for one of his term paper is fast approaching but there are only seven characters written on it. Jaemin’s pretty sure that he won’t get a passing grade if he submits a paper with just 나재민 on it.

 

And that’s when the worry starts to creep in. Jaemin’s not much of an academic achiever, but he knows he can’t afford to have a glaring red F on his transcript. He’s had too many close encounters with them last semester and he’s not going to risk having his ears fall off from his mom’s constant scolding.

 

That’s why arriving at the dessert shop felt ten times better than he remembered. Jaemin, like always, finds his eyes immediately glued to the display. Sure enough, a few cheesecakes are scattered among the variety of desserts and Jaemin’s lips quirk into a smile. He approaches the counter quickly, impatient to have a piece of his beloved cake.

 

“Oh, hey Jaemin!” He looks up from the display case and grins as he finds his friend manning the counter.

 

“Jungwoo!” greets Jaemin. “Aren’t you supposed to be working in the night shift?”

 

The older smiles at him and proceeds to tell him how Renjun, the guy who used to work the morning shift, quit the job in order to focus more on his studies. Jungwoo was promptly assigned to take over Renjun’s post and was replaced by a dance major in the night shift.

 

“I heard the new guy was quite the looker.” Jungwoo hums, quietly grinning at him. He gives the other a puzzled face, unsure of how that piece of information is relevant to him. “I heard from Donghyuck that you wanted to find a boyfriend. Figured he’d be your type.” Jungwoo explains with a shrug.

 

Jaemin rolls his eyes and sighs affectionately. “You know anything Donghyuck says is bullshit, right?”

 

“I don’t know… didn’t he tell you that we have the best cheesecakes here? Doesn’t sound like bull if you ask me.”

 

Jaemin chuckles. Jungwoo’s right. Donghyuck does say the right things once in a while.

 

“I’ll have the chocolate-butterscotch cheesecake then.” grins Jaemin cheekily.

 

“One chocolate-butterscotch cheesecake, coming right up.”

 

 

*****

 

 

Donghyuck can be such a pain in the ass.

           

Just because Jaemin is his best friend doesn’t mean he could drag him to the nearest coffee shop and demand that Jaemin accompany him while he ogles at his crush. Can’t Donghyuck see that he’s in the middle of writing a term paper for Mr. Kim-motherfucking-Heechul and that having someone with him while ogling Mark wouldn’t make him look any less creepy?

 

But Jaemin chooses his battles, and this battle isn’t worth anything more than an annoyed huff and an obligatory eye roll, so he tugs his hand away from Donghyuck and walks back to his desk, grabs his laptop, and goes straight to the coffee shop. Once there, he carefully settles his laptop on their favorite table, the second one from the door beside the window, and stares expectantly at Donghyuck.

 

“I want a venti this time.” He tells Donghyuck with a smirk. “And extra milk. I need something to ease the aftertaste.”

 

Donghyuck glares at him while he reaches for his wallet. “You’re being a fucking jerk, you know that? You’re the one with more money right now.”

 

Well, that is true, Jaemin muses. Helping his Chinese friend, Chenle, with his Korean is definitely good for his wallet. And what’s wrong with being a passive aggressive jerk to his best friend when said best friend is being an inconsiderate pain in the ass? Didn’t Donghyuck get the memo that term papers don’t actually write themselves?

 

And if Donghyuck is a pain in the ass, then Jaemin is one too.

 

“Iced coffee, venti, with extra milk. Hurry up or I’ll tell Mark that you’re in love with him.”

 

Donghyuck nearly trips as he runs to the counter and the amusement Jaemin gets out of seeing his best friend make a complete fool of himself in front of Mark makes him forget that drinking coffee is something he almost always regrets.

 

And boy, regret he did. Jaemin is cursing the day he became friends with the Jeju native. He’s also cursing coffees, palpitations, anxiety, and Donghyuck some more. Why is it that almost every time Jaemin drinks coffee, he gets something close to a mental breakdown at ass o’ clock in the evening? Is this the world’s way of getting back at him for all those ugly meme-like pictures of his friends he posts on their birthdays?

 

Jaemin groans and buries his head between his folded arms. Maybe if he makes a time machine and prevents his first meeting with Donghyuck then this wouldn’t have happened?

 

 _Riiiight, you’re gonna make a time machine when you can’t even finish a paper_. Jaemin chides himself and buries his head further into his arms.

 

He just hopes that after all of this is over, Donghyuck would finally have the balls to confess to Mark and he wouldn’t be forced to consume any more of those death traps they call a drink. And maybe have some free cheesecake.

 

 _Wait, that’s it!_ Jaemin sits up _. I need a goddamn cheesecake_.

 

He bolts from his swivel chair, ignoring the incessant beating of his heart, and grabs his coat and keys. His eyes fall on his laptop and he spends the next thirty seconds contemplating whether or not he should bring it with him. Jaemin decides against it before rushing out the door.

 

The chilly night air makes Jaemin smile in content as he walks the familiar two blocks to the dessert shop. He already feels the anxiety decreasing and his heartbeat settling to a more relaxed pace. He arrives in the shop a few minutes later and the saccharine smell of desserts takes over his senses. He mindlessly approaches the counter and stares at the display. Half of the desserts he saw from his morning trip to the shop were gone, replaced by equally enticing sweets. He spots a blueberry cheesecake from the handful cakes displayed and decides that buying a classic wouldn’t hurt. He spends some more time admiring the cakes before a voice breaks him out of his thoughts.

 

“Good evening, sir. How may I help you?”

 

Jaemin’s eyes immediately shot up to the man behind the counter. _Oh, sweet Jesus_. Jaemin thinks that this guy is the most handsome being he’s ever seen. And that’s saying a lot, coming from someone who is constantly around Lee Taeyong.

 

His raven black hair looks even darker under the warm lights of the café, and the friendly look on his face makes him look even more appealing. Jaemin finds himself getting bitter for a split second when the guy’s smile gives his own megawatt grin a run for his money. But the guy is nonetheless handsome, and those impossibly beautiful cheekbones felt like sugar to his bitterness. _Damn, why the fuck isn’t Adonis a god? Scratch that, why isn’t this dude ~~my~~ god?_

 

Seconds tick by as Jaemin continues to stare at him— _nope, he’s not checking him out_ — and the guy’s carefully crafted smile slowly slips down his face.

 

“Um, sir?” Adonis-like guy prods, “do you need anything?”

 

 _I need those lips on top of mine, handsome._ “Uh- I’ll have…” Jaemin stutters as he processes his thoughts. “um… some cake. Yes! The cheesecake.” Apparently inner Jaemin is a hoe and has a better grasp on his language skills. “Blueberry! Not strawberry, or oreo- not that you have one right now, since there’s only a blueberry on display but… ugh, you know what I mean.”

There goes Jaemin’s 16 years of education down the drain.

 

You see, Jaemin, with all his sass and bravado, is not without flaws. He has a certain weak spot for handsome guys with cute smiles and his inner hoe promptly takes over his mind. All that’s left on the outside is a mumbling Jaemin with tomatoes for cheeks and a knot for a tongue. Jaemin thought that he already had it under control when he started becoming friends with really attractive guys but once in a while, someone manages to sweep the rug from under his feet. Sadly, there is no hole under said rug that could swallow him whole.

 

Jaemin takes a deep breath, clears his throat, and promptly reverts to his usual self. “Two slices of blueberry cheesecake please. I’ll have it to-go.” He doesn’t look the guy in the eye as he feels the embarrassment creeping up his face.

 

The sound of a light chuckle snaps him out of his embarrassment, and Jaemin finds himself face to face to with a pair of eyesmiles. “Two slices of blueberry cheesecake, coming right up!”

 

Adonis-like guy punches something in the register before disappearing into the kitchen. Jaemin stands awkwardly and takes the time to mentally slap himself for making a fool of himself. When Adonis guy returned, a small box of cheesecake in his hand, Jaemin is halfway back to his usual self. He even manages to flash the handsome dude his megawatt-smile as he pays for his cake, strategically placing the bills on the counter to avoid physical contact.

 

 _Boooo! You have no game_. His inner hoe chides, which Jaemin promptly ignores.

 

Adonis dude seems to be taking his time counting his change, he thinks, or maybe Jaemin’s just impatient. His right leg is already bouncing, itching to get out before he humiliates himself even further.

 

“Here’s your change, sir!” The guy says as he hands him a few coins. Their hands brush for a split second and Jaemin can’t decide whether he wants to recoil or bask in the contact. He quickly turns away after he pockets his change and begins walking to the door.

 

He makes it in front of the shop’s door when Adonis dude speaks out. “I hope you enjoy your cake. Please, _do_ come again!”

 

Jaemin manages to give him a shy smile.

 

It is only when he's back in the comfort of his own kitchenette when Jaemin realizes that he didn’t even catch the guy’s name.

 

 


	2. Second Slice

Jeno. His name is Jeno.

 

Learning Adonis guy’s name was the first thing Jaemin did coming back to the shop. He didn’t even look at the display case, which was a first. Instead, he immediately zeroed in on the name tag haphazardly pinned on the raven-head’s apron.

 

Somehow, learning the other’s name felt a bit daunting. This means that Jaemin’s crush _–just a crush, Jaemin does not believe in the love at first sight bullshit_ –is all too real and that he is at what Jungwoo fittingly calls as _the point of no return_. Nevertheless, Jaemin is glad. One less question to plague him at night –Lord knows he already gets enough of those from Professor Kim.

 

“That would be ₩2200, sir.”

 

Jaemin fumbles with his wallet, silently cursing his rapidly depleting cash. He hands Jeno the exact amount and the other smiles at him charmingly. His stomach does a flip and Jaemin is pretty sure that if he squints hard enough, he would see his soul floating to heaven.

 

Picking up his tray, Jaemin maneuvers to an empty table near the window. There is no one else in the shop besides him and Jeno, and the only thing that’s keeping the silence at bay is the looped jazz music softly playing in the background.

 

Gingerly, he picks up a piece of cake and brings it to his mouth, moaning in delight at the explosion of taste on his tongue. It’s a mango cheesecake this time, and it’s the perfect compromise between his recent mango craving and his permanent craving for cheesecake. The slight tanginess of the mangoes is easily balanced by the cream cheese’s milder taste, and the rich consistency of the cake slowly melts in his mouth. He takes his sweet time in chewing the piece before following it with another, his smile growing after each bite. When there’s only half of the slice left, Jaemin finally looks up, only to find a pair of eyes trained on him.

 

He gulps, suddenly feeling nervous. There’s a slight discomfort that pools at the pit of his stomach and Jaemin feels too conscious to function. Jeno, as if sensing his discomfort, gives him a warm smile that makes him even more flustered. He awkwardly smiles back before hurriedly finishing his remaining cake. He feels Jeno’s gaze linger for a minute more before it leaves him.

 

A few more minutes pass before Jaemin finishes his cheesecake. He makes sure that not a single crumb is left on the plate before standing up. He sees Jeno look up from the corner of his eyes, probably startled by the sound of his chair scraping the floor. He pushes his chair back in its original place and makes a move to the door before a voice stops him in his tracks.

 

“Did you enjoy your cake, sir?”

 

Jaemin ignores the loud beating in his chest and the knot in his stomach. “I… It –it was good.”

 

Oh God, if Donghyuck sees him stammering in front of Jeno, he’ll never hear the end of it. And he wouldn’t be able to tease him about his stupidity around Mark without his best friend’s raised eyebrows screaming _you fucking hypocrite!_ at him.

 

Jeno beams, _freaking beams_ at him, and Jaemin is pretty sure his stomach is just a bunch of butterflies high on coke, giggling like a bunch of stoned Minions while riding a rollercoaster that ends in a freak accident like the one in Final Destination. Oddly specific, but true nonetheless.

 

He awkwardly shuffles his feet as he tries to think of something to say but gives up when only unintelligible garble comes up. “I guess I’ll go then.” He says in a way that makes it more of a question than a statement. Jeno nods at him politely, lips still curved in a smile.

 

“Please come again!” says Jeno. There’s a tinge of something in his voice that suspiciously sounds like hope, but Jaemin thinks it’s just his imagination acting up.

 

He smiles at Jeno instead and gives an awkward wave of his hand before walking to the door. He pauses before he could think it through, hand gripping the door handle tightly, body halfway outside, and turns to look back at Jeno.

 

There is slight confusion written on the boy’s face as Jaemin blurts something out before swiftly exiting the shop, his ears a shade of red as Jeno watches him through the windows. Then, just as quickly as the boy ran out, Jeno’s smile breaks out on his face, finally making sense of what the other had said:

 

_“It’s Jaemin, by the way.”_

_He finally knows the cute guy’s name._

*

 

 

“You’re stalking him.”

 

Jaemin glares at his (poorly chosen) best friend, the grip on the box in his hands tightening. It’s been two weeks since he first laid eyes on the _finest piece of specimen there is on the face of this earth_. In the span of those two weeks, he has been to the café Mark works at almost every day, consumed too much caffeine in his system, secretly sent daily snaps of Donghyuck making a fool of himself to all their friends, and had his term paper for Professor Kim revised twice. And almost every night, he manages to drop by the dessert shop to buy some cheesecake (or some other dessert for the sake of variety) and cultivate his crush on the cute guy working on the register.

 

Carefully placing the box on their tiny dining table, he scoffs at Donghyuck who’s carelessly laying on their worn couch. “I’m not stalking him, okay? I’m just having mental breakdowns from this stupid term paper and all those coffee I drank while you stalk Mark. You can’t blame me if this” he points at the box he just placed on the table “cheesecake is the only thing that could bring back my sanity!”

 

Donghyuck snorts. “Whatever makes you sleep at night, sweetie.” he says, voice sickeningly sweet.

 

Jaemin approaches the couch and shoves Donghyuck off. Donghyuck yelps in surprise as he falls halfway off, only managing to save his face from becoming a floor mop by doing some weird ninja-esque moves. He proceeds to give Jaemin the finger as he lies back down on the couch and shoves his foot at Jaemin’s grinning face.

 

“Can’t blame you though. He’s way more attractive than the average person.” shrugs Donghyuck. He rolls his eyes when Jaemin narrows his eyes at him. “What? I’m just putting it out there. Besides, I’m completely and utterly in love with Mark, remember?”

 

Jaemin groans like a dying man resigned to life. “Ugh, is this how the world repays me for putting up with you and your lovesick ass? I get to be a creepy stalker too?” whines Jaemin.

 

“Aha! So you do admit that you’re stalking him.” Donghyuck exclaims, wiggling his index finger at him.

 

“I do not stalk! It’s not my fault he works at a dessert shop and I’m obsessed with cheesecakes.”

 

“If you say so.” the Jeju native sing-songs. He easily blocks the throw pillow Jaemin chucks at him and throws one back at him in retaliation. “Anyways, I’m pretty sure being too obsessed with someone would be the reason we go to hell.” Donghyuck claims.

 

The two friends chuckle at the thought. “That, and us acting like thirsty hoes sometimes. Oh, and being too much of a smartass.” adds Jaemin.

 

“I’m pretty sure we have backstage passes to hell already.”

 

Jaemin laughs out loud at that before standing up to get his cake. “We still have hope in Jungwoo. He’s basically the priest we confess our heinous sins to.” he says as he takes out two forks from a drawer. “Besides, Mark is an angel and I’m probably right if I say that Jeno is a god, so we need to haul our sinful asses to heaven.” Donghyuck cackles in reply.

 

Jaemin grabs the box from the table and settles back on the couch. He hands one of the fork to Donghyuck and the two friends start to eat the cake straight out of the box. It’s a simple chocolate cake topped with strawberries. Donghyuck’s favorite.

 

As they eat in relative silence, Jaemin’s thoughts go back to Jeno. It may just be a silly crush, one he’s had countless of times before, but he hopes, for reasons not entirely clear to him, that he could get to know him better.

 

 

*

 

 

Jaemin groans for what is probably the nth time today.

 

He ruffles his hair in frustration as he goes over his paper for the third time. He’s been in the dessert shop for an hour already, trying to revise his term paper for Professor Kim’s class. He is earlier than usual so Jeno isn’t there yet and Jungwoo is the one manning the counter. He bites into what is his second cheesecake as he simultaneously types some words with one hand. Yup, he’s totally taking advantage of the free electricity and wifi in the shop.

 

Somewhere in the background, he hears the sound of windchimes as the door opens but pays it no heed. If he had, he would have seen the pleasant surprise on Jeno’s face as he arrived, astonished that his favorite regular is already there before him.

 

The only time Jaemin properly looked up was when he felt a tap on his shoulder. It’s Jungwoo and he came to say goodbye. His shift is over and Jaemin gazes at the counter and finds Jeno tying his apron. Jeno shoots him a smile, eyes crinkling into adorable eyesmiles. He sends a smile back before turning back to Jungwoo, who’s been watching the small exchange between them, and bids him goodbye. The teasing smile on Jungwoo’s face makes him roll his eyes at the older and Jungwoo leaves with a knowing grin etched on his face.

 

For about an hour or so, Jaemin relentlessly labors over his term paper, occasionally taking a bite of his cheesecake. Other customers come and go and Jeno tends to them before going back and observing his favorite regular.

 

From the way his eyebrows scrunch up in concentration and the way he bites his lip when he’s thinking, Jeno can’t help but to stare. The orange hues of the streetlights outside streams in through the window, highlighting Jaemin’s brown hair in a way that makes him look _glowing_. His face, looks impossibly soft as he takes a bite of his cake, a perfect contrast to his sharp features. Jeno thinks that he looks attractive like this, but not as beautiful as when he smiles.

 

 _Oh dear_ , that smile could light up an entire universe.

 

He remembers the shy smile Jaemin gave him on the night they first met and all the smiles after. For the two weeks that they’ve known each other, the two of them had only conversed about basic details, like where they are from and how old they are. Most of the time, the two would be sitting in silence, with the occasional joke or comment thrown at each other. But where words aren’t used, their smiles have prevailed. Every time Jaemin so much as quirks his lips, he feels his heart skipping a beat.

 

The boy’s smile is as beautiful as the sun breaking through the clouds, the view of city lights on top of a hill, or the stars lighting up the night sky.

 

Sounds gay?

 

Well, he is gay after all. Besides, Doyoung’s tendency to wax poetic is probably rubbing off on him.

 

Jeno sighs as he runs his hand through his hair. He’s got it bad. But he’s too afraid to make a move because contrary to popular belief, Jeno is not really a lady’s man (or man’s man, whatever it’s called for guys like him). Though he knows how to flirt, he’s more reserved and shy when it comes to actually wooing someone he’s into. So, for now, Jeno’s content with watching Jaemin from across the room.

 

He snaps out of his thoughts when he sees movement from the corner of his eye. It’s Jaemin, counting through his money, glancing at his empty plate from time to time. It seems like the younger doesn’t have enough cash left to buy another slice.

 

Jeno’s face lights up. He stands up and goes to the kitchen. He emerges back from the kitchen and goes straight to the only occupied table in the store, a plate of oreo cheesecake in hand.

 

“Hi.”

 

Jaemin looks surprised. “Hello.”

 

Jeno smiles at him and carefully places the plate on the table.

 

“Uh…” Jaemin looks perplexed. “I didn’t order anything.” he says, looking up at Jeno in confusion.

 

Jeno places a hand on the younger’s shoulder. “I know.” He beams at Jaemin, eyes turning into crescents. “It’s on me.”

 

The shy smile and the slight blush on the younger’s face sends Jeno’s heart reeling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I LOST MY DRAFTS TT^TT i'm writing most of these through memory. Good thing I had half of this (the 2nd) chap on my phone so it was easier but the third chapter is entirely lost :( anyways, NCT DREAM'S COME BACK IS SO GOOD MY WIG IS SNATCHEDT! It's so good to have Jaemin back and goddamn that guy can rap. Also, please know that I don't actually know how much cheesecakes cost in Korea and that I wouldn't be using any honorifics in this fic.
> 
> Thank you sooo much for reading!!

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading!


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